Geoff Keighley

“Sony Music Entertainment is set to acquire the catalog of legendary rock band Queen in a landmark deal worth GBP £1 billion (USD $1.27 billion at current exchange rates). That’s according to Hits, which reported on Wednesday (June 19), citing sources, that Sony Music has emerged as the winning buyer for Queen’s recording and publishing rights, as well as royalties from previous deals with Disney Music Group and Universal Music Group. Disney owns the band’s recorded music catalog in North America, while UMG has a global distribution agreement with Disney. Separately, Queen band members Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon – plus the Freddie Mercury estate – each own equal shares in the company Queen Productions Ltd, which owns the group’s recording catalog outside the US and Canada, Music Business Worldwide noted in a report last year. UMG, as Disney’s distributor, will reportedly retain distribution rights in North America, although Sony will receive the royalties. UMG’s worldwide distribution rights will then transfer to Sony in 2026 or 2027, making Sony Music the sole distributor and owner of all Queen content globally, Hits explained. The deal also reportedly includes name and likeness rights, opening doors for merchandise and other ventures. Meanwhile, Queen’s founding members, May and Taylor, who continue to tour with vocalist Adam Lambert, will reportedly retain control of revenue from live performances.” Read the full article for more: #Queen #SonyMusic #UMG #DisneyMusicGroup #UniversalMusicGroup #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #Creators #Artists

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📺 Apple will introduce a new version of its streaming television operating system, tvOS 18, later this year, featuring character-driven data and a dialogue enhancer. 🎬 The new feature, InSight, allows streamers to see timely updates about actors, characters, and music offered through Apple TV Plus content, integrating directly with other Apple services like Apple Music. 🗣️ Enhanced Dialogue will utilize machine learning and computational audio to deliver greater vocal clarity over music, action, and background noise on various devices including Apple TV 4K, HomePod, iPhones, and iPads. 🌍 Other features in tvOS 18 include smarter subtitles, updated screen savers, a revamped Apple Fitness Plus app, better integration with smart home devices, support for 21:9 aspect ratio videos on projectors, and improvements to FaceTime and Continuity Camera for video conferencing. #svod #ai #apple #tv https://lnkd.in/eAgubRGC

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“…music copyright valuation continues to grow at an accelerated pace. The global valuation ascribed to music copyright reached $41.5bn, according to industry economist Will Page. This is 14.5% more than 2022. More folks are streaming music than ever before. Vinyl sales are up. Concert ticket sales surpassed 2019’s figures, according to Live Nation. And beneath all of this are the songs, or copyrighted works. Without them, there would be no tours, no vinyl records and no streaming services. Funds that invest in this intellectual property are expected to continue to see a return. But across the industry, this is not the case.” “There are reasons for this - based both on data and perception. Qualitatively, the way the music industry - as a monolith - is perceived continues to be challenged. For example, in BBC’s daily news podcast, Global Story, a report on Taylor Swift referred to the music industry as ‘in crisis’ despite the macroeconomic data arguing otherwise. This is supported by the evidence of burgeoning inequality. While arenas and stadiums celebrate a bumper year, small music venues in the UK suffered their “worst year in a decade” according to the Music Venue Trust. Music education hubs - often the places where music is first created - are being cut by two-thirds in 2024-2025. However, quantitatively, the data reveals a different story. Music listenership is up, according to the IFPI. Revenue collections from CISAC, the international trade body representing collective management organizations was up 28% in 2022. Simply, more music would mean more return, especially for firms that own much of the music that is consumed, such as funds like Hipgnosis, Round Hill or Primary Wave or the three multinationals, Universal Music Group, Warner Music and Sony Music. However, debt is now more expensive, and liabilities are outstripping return. Listening to more music is not enough.” #CMOs #CISAC #IFPI #Artists #UK #RecordingRights #Performers #Royalties #MusicRoyalties #Music #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #Copyright #Copyrights #Songs #Songwriters #Recordings #MusicPublishing #Streams #Streaming #MusicStreaming #LiveMusic #Global #RecordedMusic #RecordLabels #IndieMusic

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I'm happy to announce that my original TV pilot screenplay, PROSPERITY, was awarded a semi-finalist spot in Filmmatic's drama competition! PROSPERITY is now listed in the top 5% of all projects on Coverfly. Jen Grisanti, a writing coach and story consultant was pivotal early on in the process. Writing on the side and continuing to find inspiration, while being a full-time business owner, especially in the age of AI, is not easy. But I continue to do it for the love of bringing forth my vision. When you truly love what you're doing, while you're doing it, and realize it as what it is, a Divine gift, nothing can stand between you and your vision. No matter how easy it gets to seemingly create via AI (and will continue to get easier), there's always room for your human vision to influence it. After all, it was trained on human creation and human intelligence. Even in a new coming world filled with instantly prompted niche movies, people will crave something human-centric. Something they can empathize with, identify with, and feel inspired by the journey they're taken on by a human-centric hero. I truly believe nothing will replace human creativity. As long as humans are watching, reading and paying attention to a hero's journey, nothing will replace that human-centric story. #screenwriting #screenwriter #entrepreneur #marketing #storyteller

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Music Business Association Music Biz 2024 coming up in May. Find out more about Reactional Music and what we are delivering across interactive music, music personalisation, in-game economies, generative composable music and the possibilities for creators, composers, artists and developers

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🎶 In a record-setting year for the music industry, sales of recorded music in the U.S. soared to $17.1 billion in 2023. Streaming led the charge with 84%, while vinyl saw double-digit growth. Discover more about the music boom and the changing landscape from the latest RIAA report. https://lnkd.in/ghEaTMYY #MusicIndustry

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Global on-demand audio streams surged by 15.1% to a staggering 2.3 trillion in the first half of 2024, marking a significant uptick in the music streaming industry. Within this total, U.S. streams accounted for 665.8 billion, showcasing an 8% year-over-year increase. Interestingly, the U.S. streams represent less than 30% of the worldwide total, signaling accelerated growth in international markets. This rapid expansion is not only reshaping the industry but also driving music content IP revenue upwards. #MusicStreaming #MusicIndustryGrowth

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“US music publishers are ready to “fight again” as they attempt to halt efforts by Spotify to reclassify its subscription package. The streaming service wants to say that its main subscription product is a ‘bundle’ of music, podcasts and audiobooks. This would allow it to pay less to songwriters. The campaign against Spotify’s sneaky audiobook bundling plans in the US is gaining momentum, with the boss of the National Music Publishers Association declaring “it’s time to fight again”, and the Association Of Independent Music Publishers committing its “unequivocal support” for the NMPA as it embarks on a “critical battle to prevent Spotify’s scheme from taking effect”…. Spotify has been reshuffling its range of subscription products in the US, so that there is one subscription option that offers music and podcasts, and another that offers audiobooks. Meanwhile, the existing premium subscription option - which includes music, podcasts and audiobooks - is being defined as a bundle of those two other products. That is important because of the compulsory licence that sets out the payments streaming services must pay to music publishers and songwriters in the US. That licence has provisions for bundles, meaning that if Spotify reclassifies its main premium subscription as a bundle it will reduce what it has to pay publishers and songwriters on its core product. It’s been estimated that this move could result in $150 million of lost revenue.” #Spotify #NMPA #AIMP #Streaming #Songwriters #StreamingRoyalties #Royalties #MusicTracks #MusicStreams #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #CompulsoryLicense #US #MusicPublishing #CRB #DiMA #StreamingServices #StreamingMedia #MLC #Pandora

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Paying out an additional £6 million (approx. USD $7.7 million) in royalties from online services - “UK-based royalty collection society PRS for Music says it will be paying out an additional GBP £6 million (approx. USD $7.7 million) in royalties from online services to songwriters and composers annually, thanks to a reduction in its administration rate. The collection society said it’s reducing its admin rate on multi-territory online (MTOL) royalties by 20% – from a 10% rate to an 8% rate – as a result of the CMO “surpassing its targets, delivering historic distributions and revenues, and becoming a billion-pound society.” Announced at its 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) today (June 4), PRS estimates the reduction will see £1.5 million more paid out to members in each of its quarterly royalty distributions starting from October this year.” #PRS #CMOs #UK #MusicRoyaties #Songwriters #Composers #MusicPublishing #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz

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SiriusXM reported its Q1 earnings this morning, and the headlines are justifiably focused on its loss of subscribers (nearly 500k). Like all radio, its subscription business is highly vulnerable with the move to digital audio, especially in cars. But a bright spot? If you paid attention to Spotify's earnings, you wouldn't be surprised: "off-platform revenue." For SXM, this includes Pandora and podcast revenue, which saw a 7% revenue increase. During their investor call, they signaled the growth for podcasts, explicitly saying, "Podcasting revenue saw a 22% year-over-year lift in the quarter, while programmatic podcast revenue increased 12% sequentially and 97% year over year." I'd love to see SXM break out the podcast numbers even further, but if you look at what they do provide, it's easy to conclude that podcast revenue is growing much faster than other segments. For example, Pandora continues to bleed users (64k paid subs in Q1 alone), so podcast revenue seems to be the tide lifting all "off-platform" boats. When asked about their podcast initiatives, Scott Greenstein said, "One is, you know, the podcast thing and industry is really still in the second or third inning, so it's evolving." He is 100% right. SXM also signaled that it will continue to license more podcast content and is not closing the book on exclusive content. One more fun nugget: On today's call, podcasts were mentioned 30 times. Pandora was only mentioned ten times, SmartLess nine times, and Howard Stern... zero point zero. Where do you think their priorities are moving forward? Read more: https://lnkd.in/eRQTM2Kq ---- I'm the CEO and founder of DWNLOAD Media, a fund focused on acquiring majority stakes in podcast companies. With continued audience and revenue growth, podcasting continues to be the most under-valued medium, making it time to invest in audio. If you're interested in investing in the podcast space, DM me! #podcasting #audio #siriusxm #sxm #earnings #investor #investing #podcasts

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O P T I M I S T I C ! ! ”Los Angeles Film and TV Production Sees Sluggish Rebound From Strikes, but There’s Optimism” according to a report from FilmLA which notes an anemic return to filming in the region but that jobs appeared to return in full force in March. Filming in Los Angeles has been slow to bounce back after production in the region was decimated by Hollywood’s historic season of strikes.  The main reason for the sluggish rebound: A double-digit drop in television shoots compared to the same period last year.  Also playing a factor in the decline were reductions in content spend across most major studios, series cancellations and runaway production.  While the difference was steep in January (30.6 percent fewer jobs, totaling 2,282), it was modest in February (5.1 percent fewer jobs, totaling 3,061) and nearly unnoticeable by the end of March (a 0.4 percent increase, totaling 3,274 jobs).  There’s optimism in production levels for feature films. The category rose slightly in the quarter, picking up 634 shoot days to finish an estimated 7 percent ahead of the same months last year. Movies in production included Beverly Hills Cop 4, Atlas, and Lurker, all of which are getting tax credits to film in California.  FilmLA also flagged the loss of commercial production — which slipped nearly 10 percent year-over-year and more than 33 percent below the five-year average — to other jurisdictions as a concern. Filming for smaller, lower-cost shoots, such as documentaries, music videos and still photography, similarly fell by roughly 5 percent. Entertainment Partners https://lnkd.in/g5veEE6R https://lnkd.in/gjhbnQdG

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Mission: Impossible—Troika Force Logline: In a world where media giants wrestle for dominance, Paramount Global entrusts its fate to ‘THE TROIKA’— 3 visionary leaders tasked with a high-stakes mission to rescue the studio from the brink. Through strategic cuts, covert partnerships, and bold innovations, they race against time to save PARA from collapse. Will they succeed in this epic quest, or will their efforts be the final act in a storied legacy? Originally seen as a temporary fix, ‘THE TROIKA’ is now set to steer the ship through some stormy seas and possibly redefine Paramount’s future. With PARA’S $14 billion debt & lagging stock, ‘THE TROIKA’ are tasked with making tough decisions, including significant layoffs & asset sales. Their goal? Transforming Paramount into a leaner, more agile company. Despite the unconventional setup and skepticism from some analysts, the team has a unified vision & close working relationship, always a good omen — if sustained. Cough. However, their success could end up paving the way for JUST 1 of them to take the helm — solo — eventually. #ParamountGlobal #Leadership #MediaIndustry #BusinessTransformation #filmindustry #entertainment #media #business #news

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Range Media Partners just raised big $$ from Liberty Global, Wildcat Capital Management. It's an M&A warchest so they don’t fall behind their peers.  Let’s break it down… BACKGROUND ON RANGE • Mgmt and prod co founded in 2020 by Peter Micelli and other top agents from CAA / WME / UTA • Goal = extend beyond trad film / TV representation • Has expanded into music, sports, gaming, digital, music pub M&A + CAP MARKETS HISTORY • Merged with film / TV prod co Automatik in Jan 2023 • Bought upstart athlete mgmt co Stoked Management Group in Sep 2023 • Existing investors incl Steve Cohen’s Point72 Ventures and A+E Networks (also has prod deal) NEW INVESTMENT • Last week closed significant minority investment by John Malone’s Liberty Global, TPG founder’s Wildcat Capital, and family entertainment co Playground Productions • Former CAA film finance exec Rick Hess, and The Forest Road Company were also involved (either as investors or advisors, can’t tell exactly from press release) • Use of Funds: M&A, scale in US, int’l growth, add more talent rep and prod services What you need to know about this deal 👇... It's not surprising when you consider all the other fundraising and M&A amongst Range’s peers in talent representation.  The influx of capital and high dealmaking volume is driven by a belief that outsized returns will go to rep firms who are fastest to scale, in a winner-take-most market. Because scale makes it easier to sign more talent clients, work with the largest brand marketers, hire the best talent agents and managers, package up the largest Hollywood projects, and launch the most exciting new talent-led ventures. Particularly in a world where scaled access to audience (which talent and influencers bring in a post ATT world) is the top driver in capturing share of high-growth IM spend, which is est at $7B in 2024, up 15% YoY. So it’s a race to the top. And that race is being fueled by large M&A war chests from big investor backers… Companies to watch here are: - Crestview-backed Gersh (just bought A3’s digital team) - Coral Tree-backed Loaded (just bought GG Talent) - Providence-backed Wasserman (13 deals in 2 years) - TCG-backed Night (just bought LFM and Roost Podcast Network) - The big 3: CAA, UTA, Endeavor And after last week, I expect Range Media to ramp up its acquisition activity. Particularly in athlete and digital-native representation. Curious to see what they do next with the $$. Will definitely add them to our buyers list as we bring more deals to market. —- I’m the founder of RockWater Industries. We do M&A and strategy advisory for media, agencies, and creator economy. My DMs are open. #media #agency #creatoreconomy

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UTA just promoted 24 new partners. What's driving this? Promotions can be part of a retention strategy as competition for talent, and their reps, heats up. Particularly when new firms like Range Media Partners, which was the result top agent defections from the Big 3 Hollywood agencies in 2020, are growing fast and raising growth capital (see my analysis 👇). Some questions worth asking... - How is the agency's employee retention rate trending? - How does the % of promotions compare to prior years? - What agency depts are seeing more promotions? e.g. fast-growing areas like digital? - What are the benefits of being a partner? - What type of commitment is required from partners, if any? - How does all this compare to peer agencies? Many talent reps are thinking through decisions about staying VS leaving at bigger co's, starting their own firms, staying independent, and more. This is important info to track. For both those starting out their agency careers, and more seasoned agency execs thinking about their next career step. #media #agency #creatoreconomy

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MARTIN GROVE'S HOLLYWOOD REPORT FOR 5/12/24: APES climbed atop the boxoffice chart with $56.5M, giving exhibitors new hope after a grim winter and spring.   While KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES' opening doesn't come close to 2014's DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, which kicked off to $72.6M and did $710.6M worldwide, times have changed and those good old days may be gone forever. Nonetheless, KINGDOM's launch is in the ballpark compared to 2011's RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES ($54.8M) and 2017's WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES ($56.3M).   Driven by KINGDOM, the overall marketplace, per Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian, totaled $94.4M, up 26.4% from the prior weekend, but down 9% vs. this time last year. Comscore's year to date tally has 2024 at $2.29B, down 22% from $2.93B in 2023. Last weekend 2024 was down 21% vs. 2023.   Meanwhile, back at the multiplexes: Disney/20th Century's PG-13 sci-fi action adventure KINGDOM earned its $56.5M at 4,075 theatres ($13,865). Internationally, it opened to $72.5M, per Comscore, bringing its worldwide total to $129M.   KINGDOM reportedly cost $160M to produce -- but that money's all on the screen as there aren't any $20M stars in the movie! Hollywood handicappers were bullish on KINGDOM from the start with $50-60M estimates.   Going into this weekend, KINGDOM was tracking best for first choice with men over 25 (10 points over norm) and next best with men under 25 (six points over norm). Women under 25 were okay with five points over norm. Women over 25 were the least likely to be going with three points over norm. Rotten Tomatoes critics are happy at 81% while audiences are just okay at 78%.   Universal/87 North's PG-13 action dramedy THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch (JOHN WICK) and starring Ryan Gosling & Emily Blunt, fell to second place in weekend two with $13.7M (-51%) at 4,008 theatres ($3,418). It's done $49.7M domestic and $103.7M worldwide. FALL  reportedly cost $130M after Australia tax credits.   MGM/Amazon's CHALLENGERS held on to third place in weekend three with $4.7M (-38%) at 2,609 theatres ($1,795). It reportedly cost $55M to produce and has done $38.1M domestic and $68.7M worldwide.   As for next weekend's wide releases: Paramount/Maximum Effort's PG rated family dramedy "IF," directed by John Krasinski and starring Ryan Reynolds, should keep the boxoffice sizzling. Media pundits expect $45-55M at about 3,900 theatres.   It's tracking best and equally well for first choice with women under & over 25 (each nine points over norm) and next best with men under 25 (six points over norm). Men over 25 are the least excited (two points over norm).   Lionsgate's R rated horror thriller "THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1," opening at about 2,800 theatres, is tracking best with men under & over 25, but just equal to norm. It's below norm with men & women under 25. Some more exuberant analysts see it opening to $15-20M.   #movies #boxoffice #martingrove #kingdom            

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It's NOT. But what this really is about is a call-to-action and reaction to the industry earthquakes of the past year or so. One thing's clear: It's never going to be same again. And to be honest, things will probably be worse for a while longer before they get better - if they even do get better. But we have to change. We have to adapt. That's just the way it is, folks. #animation #cartoons #cartoonnetwork https://lnkd.in/gn3T-9fP

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Paramount's Q1 earnings performance highlights both opportunities and challenges within the dynamic #streaming landscape. Most notably making recent headlines, the potential merger with Skydance suggests a strategic repositioning, aiming to strengthen Paramount's portfolio with high-quality content that could enhance its competitive stance in a crowded market and enhance Paramount's capabilities in producing and offering blockbuster films and acclaimed TV series on Paramount+. This move is a strategic effort to amplify Paramount's content offerings in both traditional and streaming formats, potentially improving its market share and appeal to a diverse viewer base. The recent introduction of international ad-tier subscriptions broadens Paramount's market reach outside of the U.S., attracting cost-conscious consumers with more accessible price points and tapping into new ad revenue streams. Introducing ad-tiers will capture global markets, reaching new demographics and analyzing consumer engagement habits. By integrating ads, Paramount will build valuable partnerships with advertisers looking to reach international audiences while increasing its global footprint. A key emphasis on providing original content and #livesports such as The Masters Tournament and National Women’s Soccer League are drivers of subscriber growth and consumer engagement on streaming platforms. The company's ability to enhance its original programming and secure compelling live sports rights will be decisive in its efforts to compete with industry giants and attract a global audience, ultimately improving its bottom line. Additionally, Bob Bakish, Paramount CEO, is stepping down today, signaling a pivot in Paramount’s overall corporate strategy and governance. New leadership may bring a different perspective on addressing the challenges of digital transformation in the #entertainment industry as we move away from traditional #cable and legacy media. This change could catalyze a more aggressive push into streaming and technology, and an increase in direct-to-consumer services, areas where Paramount must evolve to remain competitive with streaming giants like Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video & Amazon Studios. #LITrendingTopics #Q1Earnings #Streamers #Content #CordCutting https://lnkd.in/gt6_nFWN

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